


Birds of a Feather: Father and Daughter

by ParadoxProphet



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Adoption, Backstory, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fatherhood, Gen, You'd think I would after spending so long on it but nope, i have no idea what to tag this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 04:13:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18328397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParadoxProphet/pseuds/ParadoxProphet
Summary: Stabilis Ferrum was a simple man. He had a decent job, a nice home, and a happy life. Sure, he might not have had a partner in his life, but he didn't mind. He never expected to have a family because of that, but it wasn't a big problem for him. He figured he'd live his life to the fullest, surrounded by friends. He certainly didn't expect becoming a father out of nowhere.





	Birds of a Feather: Father and Daughter

**Author's Note:**

> HEY GUYS, I'M ALIVE, I FINALLY GOT THIS DONE!
> 
> Okay, so I've been working on this fic on and off since like, August? I didn't want to take so long, but things came up and I got distracted and I'm sorry. I promise my next piece won't take this long to get out. Especially since a certain milestone is coming up next month and I want to write something to celebrate it.
> 
> There's no Katia/Prompto here I'm afraid, but it's still important to the story so I ask that you read it. There are spoilers for Birds of a Feather here though, so don't read this unless you've finished it! Please enjoy and look forward to more fics coming soon!

Stabilis Ferrum was a simple man. He had a decent job, a nice home, and a happy life. Sure, he might not have had a partner in his life, but he didn't mind. He never expected to have a family because of that, but it wasn't a big problem for him. He figured he'd live his life to the fullest, surrounded by friends. He certainly didn't expect becoming a father out of nowhere.

He'd been taking a vacation in Altissia, trading the busy royal city for a relaxing getaway. He'd been seeing the sights, enjoying the food, just about anything he could think of. And then he came back to his hotel room one night to see an ethereal woman standing there, holding a small child in her arms. The child was asleep, and very dirty. He'd never seen the little girl before, and before he knew it the woman was telling him to raise her. He tried to protest, saying he'd never been a father before, but the woman wouldn't take no for an answer. And without being able to retaliate, the woman left, leaving traces of a chill and the little girl.

Stabilis looked over the sleeping child. She had brown hair that went past her shoulders. The only thing she was wearing looked to be a white hospital gown, now covered in dirt and frayed. On her left wrist were two markings on each side. One appeared to be some kind of barcode, the other a chocobo feather. The woman had said little about this girl, merely that she had no home and no memories. He hadn't questioned her on either front. He couldn't help but wonder just what this kid had been through. Just as he'd been thinking about what to do, the girl woke up.

She sat up and looked around the room, clearly confused. She finally turned to Stabilis. "Where am I?" she asked softly. "Who are you? Who am I?"

Well, this was a problem. He thought he'd have more time to figure out what to tell her. Might as well be honest, he guessed. "Don't worry, you're safe here," he said, trying to keep this girl calm. "You're at a hotel in Altissia, my room specifically. My name is Stabilis Ferrum, though I suppose you can call me 'dad'. As for who you are, I was hoping you could tell me that. I found you on the streets all by yourself so I don't know anything about you," He figured it wouldn't matter if he embellished the truth a little bit, he couldn't exactly tell her that woman had just left her here. He got closer and leaned down so he was eye level. "Do you remember anything at all about yourself? Your name, your age, where you're from? Anything will do."

The girl sat there in silence, likely trying to remember something. After a while, she sighed and looked down at her hands. "Sorry mister, I can't," she said. "Well, except I'm 6. I just turned 6, I think."

Stabilis smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. "That's okay, you remembered something. You don't have to strain yourself." he said. He pulled out a small pocket book and checked the date. September 28th. He figured that would make her birthday nearby. He marked it down as the 26th, figuring it didn't matter if he was a few days off.

"How come I can call you 'dad'?" The girl asked.

Stabilis looked back at her. "Well, you don't have a family, so I guess I'm gonna adopt you. You're my daughter now."

The girl didn't seem to understand. "Daughter?"

How to explain this to a girl who didn't know what he meant? "Well, it means I'm gonna take care of you from now on. Once I'm done here, I'll take you home with me to Insomnia."

"The royal city?" The girl asked. Well, that at least gave him an idea that she had basic knowledge. That'd make putting her in school easier, he couldn't exactly home school her with his job. He couldn't believe he was already thinking about about her education.

"Yes, the royal city. That's where I live," Stabilis explained. "I'm not royalty or anything, but that's not important. I'm staying here for a couple more days, so I'll get you some new clothes before we leave. Unless you want to keep wearing that." He gestured to the hospital gown, getting a shake from the girl.

Her stomach began to growl, clearly she was hungry. "I'll order some room service so you can get something to eat." He began to stand up and head for the phone, but a tug on his shirt stopped him.

"Wait!" He looked down at her, a scared look on her face. She pointed to the strange barcode on her wrist. "Hide this! It's bad!"

"Bad? What is it exactly?" he asked.

"I dunno, but I don't want people to see it! It's bad!" she repeated, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. Whatever it was, she was worried about it.

"Alright, let me see what I can do," He looked around the room, trying to find something he could cover it with. He looked at the watch on his own wrist. That would work until he could find something else. He'd have to look for something while he bought her some clothes. He took off the watch and adjusted it so it fit around her smaller wrist. "There, that should do for now, Katia."

"Katia?"

"Oh, right. Well, you don't know your name, and I have to call you something, so I figured Katia could be your name," he explained. "I've always thought it was a pretty name, and decided it could be yours. Katia Ferrum, do you like it?"

She sat there in thought again, a small smile creeping on her face. "It's pretty. I like it." Katia said.

Stabilis smiled, standing up. "That's good. I'm gonna get you something to eat now, okay? You sound hungry."

\---------------------------------------

He still couldn't believe it'd been so long. Fourteen years had passed, and he watched his daughter grow into a fine young woman. She'd even managed to make friends with the prince! Granted, he wasn't the type who cared about sucking up to royalty, he was just glad his daughter had managed to make such a great friend. Of course, there was also the Argentum boy. They got along better than anyone. He had a feeling there was more there, not that he'd pester his daughter about it.

"Hey dad, how do I look?" Katia's voice snapped Stabilis out of his thoughts. He looked over to see her wearing the Crownsguard fatigues she'd been given. He looked at her and felt proud. What parent wouldn't in this moment?

"You look amazing," he said, getting a smile in return. "They fit you perfectly."

Katia laughed a little bit. "Well I'd hope so, otherwise I'd have to get on the Marshalls case about it! I just hope the guys like it, it sucks having to keep such a huge secret in!"

"I'm certain they will," Stabilis took a sip from his mug of coffee. "You're heading out to Altissia to meet them, right?"

"Yep, I'm not about to miss Noct's wedding. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees me there!"

"He's not leaving for another week though, why head out today?"

Katia shrugged her shoulders. "Because it's more fun to surprise him? Besides, once the wedding starts I won't be able to see any of the sights! I wanna enjoy Altissia while I'm there."

"Alright, alright. I know I can't stop you," Stabilis walked over to her, a feeling of dread suddenly overwhelming him. It felt like if she left, he'd never see her again. He knew she was an adult, but deep down he couldn't help but worry a little bit. "Are you sure you want to go there alone? I wouldn't get on your way." He tried not to make his worry too obvious.

Katia just rolled her eyes. "Dad, I'm gonna be fine. Besides, you're starting to get old, no offense. I doubt you'll be able to handle Altissia at your age."

"Hey now, I'm not that old!" he laughed.

"You're old enough! I can't let ya slow me down!" The two laughed together.

Stabilis sighed. Her mind was made up. He just had to hope that his worries were unfounded. "Okay, I trust you. Just try not to get into any trouble, okay?"

"Come on dad, it's me! You got nothing to worry about!" She began to walk away so she could grab her bags.

No matter how much he tried to push it back, the fears kept coming to the front of his mind. He didn't want to believe that once she walked out that door, that she'd be gone forever. She was too important to him. He'd never had a family before she showed up that night, he didn't want to lose her.

"Alright, I should be going," Katia's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked over to see her heading towards the door.

"Wait!" he shouted, startling his daughter. He rushed over as fast as he could. "You can't leave without giving me a proper good-bye, now can you?"

Katia rolled her eyes. "You're right, how could I forget?" She placed her bag on the ground and hugged Stabilis, as he did the same. He tried his best to hold back tears, he had no reason to cry after all. Perhaps his worries were simply due to the fact that she was a young woman now, and eventually all children leave home. He didn't need to worry about that. She'd be with her friends, and maybe she'd call home saying she finally got with the Argentum boy. He was a kind soul, he'd be what she needed. He told himself all this, and yet he still hesitated to let her go.

"I love you, sweetheart." he said, hiding his worries with a smile.

"I love you too, dad," Katia replied. "I'll miss you."

"...I'll miss you too."

The two let go of each other, knowing this couldn't last. "I'll call you when I make it to the hotel. Or if some disaster happens, whichever one comes first." Katia said, picking up her bag.

"I hope it'll be the first one. I can't help much since I'll be here after all." Stabilis went back to his coffee, sipping down the bitter brew.

"You and me both," Katia stopped for a moment, going back to her father and kissing him on the cheek. "Wish me luck!"

Stabilis kissed her cheek as well. "May the Six keep you safe on your journey."

Katia headed out the door, leaving him alone in his house. He walked into the living room, picking up an old photograph of the two of them. He took it not long after he adopted her, both of them were smiling. Times were simple then, now everything was changing.

Of course, he knew not of the events that would take place in Insomnia a week later. He knew not that he would die in the attack on the royal city. He knew not that Katia would hear of the attack and desperately try to contact him in the hope that he was alive. Nothing could tell him the future. All he could do was reminisce on the past, and hope his daughter would have a happy future.


End file.
